India, the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases globally, got a huge boost in her sustainable development agenda when Germany, a world leader in renewable energy, offered to provide $2.25 billion in aid — in addition to the 1.15 billion euros that Berlin had committed earlier under “Green Energy Corridors Partnership” — for solar developments during Chancellor Angela Merkel’s recent trip to New Delhi to attend the third Indo-German inter-governmental consultations.
With meticulous precision, Merkel tried to entice India into a global debate that will culminate in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP21) to be held in Paris by the end of this year. In fact, the German monetary contribution under the newly-signed “Indo-German Climate and Renewable Alliance” coupled with a far reaching decision to enhance cooperation in the field of “climate risk insurance” is nothing but a diplomatic masterstroke as it will put India firmly on a low-carbon track, since New Delhi has shied away from making specific commitments on reducing greenhouse gas emission in her climate action plan or Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, that seek to outline post-2020 climate actions.
However, India has promised to derive 40 percent of her electricity capacity from non-fossil fuels, including renewables and other low carbon sources, by 2030 provided it gets the required financial support of $2.5 trillion and relevant cutting-edge technological assistance from the developed world. Additionally, India has agreed to cut the emission intensity or the level of greenhouse gas emissions per unit of gross domestic product of her economy by up to 35 percent within 2030. But then, many rue India’s ambivalence in her pledged contribution to achieve a low-carbon, climate-resilient future even as the combination of climate action plans put forth by no less than 147 nations is expected to limit average temperature rise to 2.7 degree Celsius above pre-industrial times by the year 2100.
Yes, the projected figure may be down from the 3.1 degree Celsius forecast of last December, but they are still above the 2 degree Celsius level that governments worldwide have accepted as the threshold beyond which the earth would face dangerous consequences. And expectedly, the German leadership representing the developed world, which insists on a mitigation-centric policy response to climate change, has tactfully exploited Indian Premier Narendra Modi’s renewable energy and environmental passion. During his tenure as the chief minister of Gujarat, Modi was instrumental in giving an effective push to renewable energy by installing solar panels above water canals to not just generate electricity but also cut water evaporation by at least 40 percent.
As Modi himself asserted recently, “We are focusing on renewable energy not for laurels but to lighten homes of the poor and bring a change in their lives.” So spirited is Modi’s desire to spread the use of renewable energy that he has always encouraged innovative ideas like setting up solar panels on top of innumerable ponds available in rural India and increasing crop productivity through micro-irrigation model powered by renewable energy source. Interestingly, Germany supported India’s contention that “adaptation” must be a central part of a balanced Paris climate agreement, despite stiff resistance from several rich nations. Surely, this is a ploy to mollycoddle India into submission as it is a well-established fact that both mitigation, which addresses the root causes, and adaptation, seeking to lower the risks posed by the consequences of changes in the statistical distribution of earth’s weather pattern, are necessary to holistically address the vital issue of damages caused by high carbon emissions.
Are we to presume, therefore, that Modi has walked into a trap unwittingly? The Indo-German joint statement, released after Modi’s meeting with Merkel, reaffirms both nations’ commitment to strengthen climate-friendly urban development and mobility, energy transition, energy efficiency in the housing sector and urban water supply as well as recycling and waste management in major Indian cities. And India’s socioeconomic infrastructure is not yet ready for such a big leap even in the medium term. Will Modi’s craving for clean energy and environmental concern, become an impediment to his manufacturing (Make in India) push or urbanization agenda?
No doubt, there is an urgent need for promoting clean technology and energy to reduce carbon footprint. According to International Energy Agency data, number of people in India still reeling under the “energy poverty line” is more or less equal to the entire population of the United States. And Modi has set a target of increasing India’s solar power capacity by five-folds to 100,000MW in seven years’ time at a cost of a whopping Rs6 trillion to light up Indian households, especially in the rural hinterlands. Indeed, off-grid mini solar plants can power clusters of rural homes in remotest corner of India too. Besides, Modi also wants shiny solar panels, mounted on urban high-rise rooftops, at airports, railway stations, running trains and on vast expanses of land and water, to quietly generate clean power tapped from the sun.
In a positive development, solar manufacturers from Gulf nations are ready to invest in India, both in terms of finance and technology. But to lift renewable power beyond localized production and usage, a lot needs to be done on infrastructure and transmission front apart from encouraging low-cost innovations in domestic hardware productions as well as bringing about a radical shift in policy execution. Till then, achieving the intended clean energy target, to avoid climate catastrophe, will remain a utopian dream.
